Hi guys! I was gone for a while (too busy trying to survive treatment and school), but now I'm back. wohooo.
I got lyme disease when I was 18 (a little over 4 years ago), and was in treatment for the last two years. I stopped antibiotics 3 months ago, but have still been having a lot of fatigue and pain.
Basically, in the last couple of months I've come to realize that whether or not my symptoms are lyme, yeast or something else, I'm probably going to be dealing with chronic illness type symptoms for a long time- if not for the rest of my life.
Because I got Lyme disease when in school, during treatment I had energy for school and that was it (and sometimes not even that). I had pretty much no social life and absolutely no dating life.
Now that I am out of school and doing better (if not 100%) I have been trying to have more of a social life, but it is extremely difficult. I have to be super careful about what I eat, how late I stay up, I can't drink, etc.
I've also developed knee and hip problems that mean I can't walk or stand for more than a few minutes. So I can't do anything that involves something other than sitting (no going out to bars, shopping etc.) Basically, I can't do anything social people my age like to do.
How do I have a social life when what I can do is so limited? Before getting sick I was a very athletic outdoorsey-type person. Almost all my social activities revolved around physical activity.
The problem is that I already know from experience that no one really likes someone who always has problems, or is always sick. I want to meet people and I would LOVE to date (I mean I'm in 22!), but I don't even know where to start.
And I don't know when/if to stop hiding my medical problems from the people I know. I don't want them to run away, but I hate lying, and after a certain point, I either become the person who always cancels for no good reason, or I tell the truth.
Sorry for the long post. It's just I thought I'd have a magical whole new life, and meet tons of people once I was out of school, and so far it's not working out that way.
Lots of love for all you wonderful folks
Nicole
Posted by James1979 (Member # 31926) on :
Dear Nicole, The problem is that you're in Canada. All of the cool guys, like myself (for example), are in the USA. Just kidding.
Yeah, I know it's tough. You gotta have a lot of patience. I think that's the only way to go through.
Also, you'll be forced to find yourself some REAL friends who have REAL love. Now THAT'S the most difficult task to accomplish. There are only a few people in the world who are truly able to un-selfishly love their friends. I think only one of them is in Canada.
In the end, if you are able to successfully find TRUE friends, you'll be much better off. What good is it to be friends with tons of shallow people who would turn their backs on you at the slightest discomfort?
When I was in college, I used to contemplate: "If I was ugly-looking, I wonder how many of my friends would still be my friends." It's a very sobering thought. The same thing goes with our current situation: "If I'm sick, I wonder how many of my friends would still be my friends." Unfortunately, usually this leaves only a few.
I feel like I'm cutting this advice short. I apologize that I didn't leave a happy ending! It's different for everybody.
Good luck to you on your quest.
Posted by Lymetoo (Member # 743) on :
Very sorry that you feel so isolated. And I guess living through Canadian winters won't help, right? Stay connected to people as much as possible.
Nicole.. I recently hurt my neck and back and I understand not being able to do much. Even typing is bad for my pain.. but hey..it's my connection to others.
You may want to try natural anti-inflammatories.
Bromelain mangosteen Rutozyme or other such systemic enzymes curcumin (tumeric)
Best wishes... and .. we're glad to have you back, but wish you didn't have to be here!!
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Just kidding. ![[Smile]](smile.gif)
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